March 1, 2007
SAN DIEGO -
SDSU Water Polo Weekly Release in PDF Format
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SDSU SET TO OPEN BRAND-NEW AZTEC AQUAPLEX THIS WEEKEND
- Following a nine-game road stretch, the ninth-ranked San Diego State women's water polo team (7-3, 0-1 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) returns home to open the brand-new Aztec Aquaplex with three matches this weekend. SDSU steps back into conference play for two of those encounters, entertaining No. 1 Stanford on Friday, March 2, before tangling with No. 6 San Jose State on Saturday, March 3. The Aztecs' clash with the Cardinal is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m., while their showdown with the Spartans is slated to get underway at noon. Following the SJSU match, San Diego State will hold its annual alumni exhibition game starting at 2 p.m.
The Aztecs are coming off a successful showing at the inaugural UC Irvine Invitational, Feb. 24-25, where they posted a 3-1 record in the elite 16-team field. Following a tough 8-7 loss to host school UCI in the opener last Saturday, SDSU rebounded with three straight victories to close the tournament. The Aztecs completed group play on Saturday by taking out their frustrations on No. 19 Santa Clara, 12-4, and then rode that momentum into the invitational's final day as the Scarlet and Black pinned an 8-5 defeat on 12th-ranked UC Santa Barbara before recording an 8-6 upset of No. 7 Loyola Marymount in overtime. With the win, SDSU gained a measure of revenge against the Lions, who knocked off the Aztecs by the identical score in the title game of the UCSD Triton Invitational on Feb. 11.
AZTEC AQUAPLEX REDUX
- With its prime location, the Aztec Aquaplex is one the final pieces of the puzzle for the San Diego State athletic department. The new facility is situated on the west side of campus nestled between SDSU Softball Stadiumand Aztec Tennis Center. The 112,000 square-foot complex was built a cost of $12 million and features an Olympic-sized pool for competitive swimming and diving, a 7,300 square-foot recreation pool with a beach-style entrance and a cloverleaf-shaped hydrotherapy spa that fits up to 20 people. The main competition pool measures 51 meters by 25 meters and includes a one-meter movable bulkhead along with two one-meter and two three-meter diving boards.
The nerve center of the Aztec Aquaplex lies in the 5,000 square-foot operations building, which contains showers, locker rooms, restrooms, administrative offices, guest services and storage. The facility, which will also serve as home for the San Diego State swimming and diving team, is equipped with an 8,000 square-foot solar water heating panel that doubles as a shading structure for participants.
Funding for the Aztec Aquaplex, which is being generated through a $16 increase in student union fees, was approved in an April 2004 referendum as SDSU students voted 64 percent in favor of the project. The facility is operated by Associated Students of San Diego State University.
A LOOK AT THE HOMESTAND: STANFORD AND SAN JOSE STATE
- Top-ranked Stanford (11-1, 4-0 MPSF) comes into this week riding a 10-game winning streak, including the tournament championship at the UC Irvine Invitational last weekend. The Cardinal completed a 4-0 sweep by knocking off No.1 UCLA, 8-4, last Sunday, which lifted them to the top spot in this week's national rankings. Prior to Friday's contest, Stanford will play at No. 11 Arizona State on Thursday. The Cardinal is led by sophomore Lauren Silver, who leads the team with 27 goals, followed by senior Katie Hansen with 17 scores. In goal for Stanford is senior ÂMeridith McColl, who has 64 saves to her credit so far this season, while freshman Kate Heddleston has also seen action in front of the net. The Cardinal defeated the Aztecs, 7-2, at Stanford in their only meeting last year and lead the all-time series 18-9.
Meanwhile, the Spartans (6-7, 2-2 MPSF) split their four games at the UC Irvine Invite, defeating Arizona State and UC Davis, while falling to Stanford and Hawai'i. SJSU recorded an enormous upset three weeks ago when it defeated then-No. 4 California for the first time in program history, 14-13, in an overtime thriller on Feb. 10. Filling up the stat sheet for the Spartans is senior Beth Harberts, who is tops on the squad with 20 goals, followed closely by sophomore Juliet Ross' 19. San Jose State's goalkeeping duties are handled by junior Kendra Adama. SDSU took two of three games from the Spartans in 2006, including a 5-3 upset in the first round of the MPSF Championships. The Aztecs lead the all-time series 10-6.
REWIND: 2006 ALUMNI GAME
- San Diego State will be looking to snap a two-game losing streak to the Aztec alumni, including a 6-5 defeat last year at the Salvation Army Kroc Center. In that contest, SDSU erased a 3-2 halftime deficit on third period goals by Susan Stivers, Erinn Greenwood and Stacy Werner. However, the alumni defense pitched a shutout for the remainder of the game, while the offense received scores from Monica DeRosier, Casey Finnegan and 2000 Olympian Gubba Sheehy in the final stanza to escape with a 6-5 win. The Aztec varsity had a chance to tie the game with five seconds left, but Werner's shot was corralled by alumni goalie Ashley Zabel as time expired.
WERNER CLIMBING THE CHARTS
- Stacy Werner is enjoying another productive season as the Aztec senior leads the team with 25 steals and second with 18 goals and 12 assists. As a result of her efforts this year, Werner has been steadily working her way up the Aztecs' all-time lists in the three aforementioned categories. Following her three scores against Loyola Marymount on Sunday, the Lodi, Calif., native moved into 10th place in career scoring at SDSU with 100 goals Werner also recently leaped past Larisa Baltgalvis and Savanah Kelley into fifth place with 179 career steals and finds herself in the same position with 77 career assists, eclipsing Casey Finnegan's total of 71.
DON'T FORGET CERVANTES
- Senior co-captain Elana Cervantes also achieved a career milestone this year when she surpassed Dominique Delgado (126) in the season opener against Hartwick to become SDSU's all-time leader in assists. The Davis, Calif., native has since added to her total and now has 141 career assists, including a team-leading 16 this season.
WHAT SOPHOMORE JINX?
- The sophomore trio of Anna Gonzales, Erinn Greenwood and Jenna Schuster has provided much of the Aztecs' scoring punch thus far in 2007, accounting for nearly half of the team's 86 goals with 42. Gonzales leads the team with 19 goals and is the only SDSU player to score in all 10 games this season. The Fresno, Calif., native has recorded five mulitple-goal games, including a season-high four tallies against Santa Clara on Feb. 24. Gonzales has also contributed on the defensive side, ranking third with 14 steals.
Greenwood has five multiple-goal games to her credit as well, which is two more than her total for the entire 2006 season. The Sanger, Calif., product leads the squad with 27 ejections drawn and is third with 13 goals and nine assists. Schuster, meanwhile, leads the team with a .400 shooting percentage (10-for-25) and is second with 19 steals.
KILGORE WAS HERE
- Goalkeeper Sarah Kilgore is off to a tremendous start after 10 games this season, posting 104 saves, which is ranked seventh in the nation and third in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. Her 17 stops against Hawai'i on Feb. 16 tied her collegiate best established last year on April 22 at Arizona State. With her effort, the Aztec senior has recorded double-digit saves in seven games already this year and is well on pace to eclipse her total of 10 set in 2006. Her 10 stops against Hartwick on Feb. 8 vaulted her into second place on the Aztecs' all-time career saves list, surpassing Ashley Zabel. With her 640 career stops, Kilgore trails only Curran Teigen, who holds the SDSU record with 904 career saves.
CRAZY EIGHTS
- The Aztecs have scored at least eight goals in all seven of their wins thus far in 2007 and have recorded that exact total in four of those victories. Conversely, SDSU has given up at least eight goals in all three of its defeats this season, while opponents have matched that precise figure in two of those losses. Coincidentally, the Aztecs returned eight letterwinners this year and were ranked eighth in the country in last week's collegiate poll!
CRAWFORD AT THE CONTROLS
- Head coach Carin Crawford is in her ninth year at the helm of the San Diego State women's water polo team. In each of her eight seasons on Montezuma Mesa, SDSU has never finished below 11th place in the final national rankings. During her tenure, the Aztecs have garnered 11 All-America awards and claimed all-MPSF accolades on 13 occasions. Crawford's players have also earned 27 all-MPSF academic awards, as well as 27 AWPCA all-academic honors.
ROAD WARRIORS
- Following this weekend's slate, the Aztecs will embark on their longest road stretch of the season when they play six games in 13 days away from Montezuma Mesa. SDSU will venture up the coast to Santa Barbara next week, battling MPSF rival UCSB and nonconference foe Marist in a doubleheader on March 10.
San Diego State continues its trek northward for a St. Patrick's Day skirmish against California in Berkeley on March 17, while another twin bill awaits the Scarlet and Black the next day in Stockton as the Aztecs look to tame a couple of Tiger squads - Pacific and Princeton. SDSU then wraps up its excursion with a date against Long Beach State on March 22.